Nike patents shoe sole design with internal air pocket
This patent describes a shoe sole that uses a flexible air-filled pocket, or bladder, sandwiched between the main cushioning material and the outer rubber layer. The design includes a specific frame structure that holds the air pocket in place to manage how the sole bends and absorbs impact.
In the filing’s own words
An aspect of the disclosure provides a structure for an article of footwear. The sole structure includes a cushioning element having a first material. The sole structure further includes a cradle including a second material, attached to the cushioning element, and including a plate disposed against the cushioning element and a pair of supports extending from opposite ends of the plate. The sole structure also includes a bladder disposed within the cradle between the supports. An upper barrier layer of the bladder contacts the plate.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A sole structure for an article of footwear, the sole structure comprising: a cushioning element; an outsole attached to the cushioning element and cooperating with the cushioning element to define a void disposed between the cushioning element and the outsole; and a bladder disposed within the void between the cushioning element and the outsole, the bladder including a first planar surface spaced apart from and opposing a first surface of the outsole and a second planar surface spaced apart from and opposing the first surface of the outsole and convergent with the first planar surface.
Facts
- Company
- Nike (NIKE, Inc.)
- Official title
- ARTICLE OF FOOTWEAR
- Publication number
- US20260262793A1
- Application number
- 19682081
- Filed
- May 19, 2026
- Published
- Sep 10, 2026
- Inventors
- 3
- Claims
- 20
Classified under
A43B 13/20 Human necessitiesA43B 13/127 Human necessitiesMore from Nike in Clothing & sport
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.